The Persuasions

Long before the movie “Pitch Perfect” and NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” the Persuasions were trying to prove that a cappella was marketable. In fact, it was Frank Zappa who got the Brooklyn harmonizers their first record deal in 1970. In recent years, they have done a series of tribute albums — Zappa, the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, U2 and Bob Dylan. The quintet still features two original members from the 1960s — Jayotis Washington and bassman Jimmy Hayes. Jon Bream